In Shelter Cove

by Barbara Freethy

  “You don’t know that. And staying together for the sake of a child isn’t a bad reason.” Colin frowned. “How long have you been thinking about her? Because it sounds like a lot longer than the few days she’s been back in town.”

  “I’ve thought about her and Derek over the years,” he admitted. “How could I not? Derek and I were friends. It killed me to arrest him.”

  “I know how wrecked you were, but you always believed you were right. I thought that would help you get through it.”

  “I still believe I was right. And I have to make Brianna see the truth.”

  “Why? So you can have her?”

  Jason ducked Colin’s inquisitive gaze. “I didn’t say that.”

  “But you’re thinking that. Here’s the way I see it: if you can prove to Brianna that Derek was guilty, you’ll destroy her life all over again. You’ll be right, but you’ll never get her, because you’ll always be the guy who ruined everything. It might be illogical, but that’s how she’ll think of you.” Colin let that sink in before continuing. “And if the unthinkable happens, and she proves that Derek was innocent and you sent him to jail, then she’ll be right, and you’ll still be the man who destroyed her life. There’s no way to win, Jason. Cut your losses and move on.”

  “I can’t stand that she thinks I screwed Derek over,” Jason muttered, unwilling to believe there wasn’t a way he could win.

  “It sucks. Get over it. Isn’t that what you just told me?”

  “You didn’t make it right. It’s not working,” Lucas complained as he ran across the backyard, trying to launch his new kite into the air.

  Brianna frowned. What the heck was wrong with the thing? She’d followed the directions, but the kite didn’t look anything like the picture. It sagged in the middle, looking limp and pathetic. Still, she was pretty sure their main problem was a lack of wind and space to run. “We’ll take it down to the beach tomorrow and test it out there.”

  “But I want to fly it now,” Lucas protested.

  She knew he was frustrated and tired; he’d been going nonstop all day. She needed to be patient.

  “We don’t have enough room here to run, and it’s too dark to go out front. Tomorrow we’ll find a big, wide-open space, and the kite will take off—you’ll see.” The phone rang inside the house. “Why don’t you bring the kite in and we’ll make some dinner?”

  She jogged through the back door, grabbing her cell phone off the counter. “Hello?”

  “Mrs. Kane? This is Will Isaacs.”

  She was surprised to hear the voice of one of Derek’s former attorneys. Mr. Isaacs had left the case last year after being diagnosed with cancer. “What can I do for you?”

  “First of all, I’m sorry for your loss. It was tragic, what happened to Derek.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come to the funeral.”

  “I know you’ve been ill. I hope you’re feeling better.”

  “I just got back from Germany yesterday. I underwent some experimental treatment, and so far, so good, but that’s not why I’m calling. Last year Derek gave me an envelope and instructed me to give it to you in the event that anything happened to him before his release. I apologize for neglecting to make sure that happened immediately after his passing.”

  “You have a letter for me from Derek?” she echoed in shock.

  “Yes. I don’t want to entrust it to the mail, and it’s been delayed too long already. I’d like to drive it down there tomorrow, if that would be convenient.”

  “Do you know what it says?”

  “It was sealed when Derek gave it to me.”

  She leaned against the counter, her heart racing, her palms sweaty. “I don’t understand why he’d leave me a letter. If he had something to say, why wouldn’t he have just said it? He couldn’t have been anticipating his death. It was an accident. It was unexpected.”

  “I’m sorry that you have to wait until tomorrow to find out. But I can be there around five o’clock.”

  “That’s fine.” She licked her lips. “Mr. Isaacs, you worked with Derek for a long time, and you reviewed all the private investigation notes, correct?”

  “Up until about six months ago, yes,” he agreed.

  She hesitated. “Do you believe that Derek was innocent?”

  She heard him take a quick breath. “Well, that’s not the question I was expecting.”

  “Do you?”

  His answer was slow to come. Finally, he said, “I don’t honestly know. Derek insisted that he didn’t take the paintings, but I always felt he was holding out on us in some way. The investigators we hired concurred. I told Derek that he if wanted us to help him, he had to help us. He said he’d done all he could do.”

  “Perhaps he just had no idea who stole the paintings, and it wasn’t about being uncooperative.”

  “Possibly. At some point, Derek became resigned to serving out his sentence and moving on. If you want to talk more, we can do so tomorrow.”

  “Of course. Thank you.” She hung up, still shocked about the letter. It didn’t make sense.

  She suddenly became aware of the silence in the house and in the yard. It was quiet—too quiet. And where a four-year-old was concerned, that was a sure sign of trouble. “Lucas!” she called, turning toward the back door.

  There was no reply, no happy bark.

  Nothing.

  SIX

  Jason was about to turn onto Drake’s Way when he saw a small figure chasing a black dog and dragging what looked like a kite behind him. It was Lucas Kane, with no Brianna in sight.

  He pulled his car over to the curb and got out as Lucas went flying by. His little four-year-old legs were no match for the puppy, who appeared to have a cat in his sights.

  Jason ran after them, catching up with Lucas. “Stay here,” he told him. “I’ll get your dog.” He kept running, but he could hear Lucas’s little feet pounding after him. Where the hell was Brianna? She didn’t strike him as a mother who would let her small child play outside on his own, especially with night coming.

  The dog dashed to the bottom of the tree and began to bark as his prey escaped to a higher branch. Jason swooped down and wrestled the puppy into his arms as Lucas came to a breathless halt beside him. The little boy’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

  “You caught him!” Lucas said, amazement in his voice. “You run really fast.”

  “Thanks. Where’s your mom?”

  Lucas shot a quick look over his shoulder, his expression going from happy to worried. “I better go home.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll go with you. What are you doing out here by yourself?”

  “Trying to fly my kite, but it wouldn’t work.” His little mouth turned down in a pout. “It’s broken.” He gave the kite a disgusted kick.

  Jason took a quick look at the kite, which didn’t appear to be put together correctly. “I think we can fix it.”

  “Really?” Lucas asked hopefully. “I want to fly it in the contest. My daddy won three times. I’m going to win, too.”

  “I bet you will.” Lucas sounded so much like Derek, not just in his voice but also in his determination to succeed.

  Lucas let the kite trail along the sidewalk as they headed around the corner. “I wish my daddy was here,” he said a moment later, heaving a big sigh. “He could show me how to make the kite fly. But he’s in heaven. He’s an angel now.”

  Jason nodded, feeling a wave of sadness for Lucas. He knew what it felt like to lose a parent when you were just a little kid. He’d also never been reassured by the idea that his mother was in heaven. All it had meant to him was that she was somewhere far away. She might be watching over him, but he couldn’t feel her presence.

  His father, on the other hand, seemed to have had more than one encounter with the angel form of his wife. Jason had dismissed most of those events as a result of his father’s alcohol intake or his desperate need to hang on to the woman he’d loved.<
br />
  “Do angels make the wind?” Lucas asked. “Grandma Nancy said that the winds come from heaven. Maybe Daddy will make the wind blow really hard so my kite will fly.”

  “That sounds right.”

  “Do you know how to fly a kite?” Lucas asked curiously.

  “I do.”

  “Could you show me?”

  “I could.” He doubted Brianna would appreciate his answer, but he wasn’t going to lie to Lucas.

  “Did your daddy teach you how to fly a kite?”

  “He did,” Jason said.

  “Did he live with you all the time?”

  “Yes.” An uneasy feeling ran through him as he sensed where Lucas was headed with his questions.

  “My daddy never lived with Mommy and me,” Lucas announced. “He did something wrong, and they wouldn’t let him come home, even if he said he was sorry.” He paused, tilting his head to the side to give Jason another speculative look. “Did you ever do anything wrong?”

  Before he could reply, Brianna came flying down the sidewalk, shouting Lucas’s name.

  “Uh-oh,” Lucas said worriedly. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” He took off, running toward his mother.

  “What are you doing out here?” Brianna demanded.

  Jason could see her arms shake as she grabbed Lucas and squeezed him tight.

  “You know you’re not supposed to leave the backyard.” Brianna held Lucas away from her so she could make sure he wasn’t hurt, but she still had a tight grip on his arms. “How did you open the gate?”

  “I climbed on the bricks and reached over the top,” Lucas said, proud of his accomplishment.

  “Why did you do that?”

  “There are too many trees in the back. I wanted to see if the kite would fly in the front,” he replied. “I wasn’t going to leave the yard, but Digger saw a cat and started running, and I had to go get him so he wouldn’t get lost.”

  “You could have gotten lost,” Brianna said. “You are never, ever to leave the backyard again without me. Do you understand?”

  “I’m sorry, Mommy. Will they send me away for being bad like they did to Daddy?”

  “Oh, God, of course not.” She hugged him again.

  Jason’s heart broke a little at Lucas’s question and Brianna’s desperate assurance. The kid was barely four and already messed up by his father’s crimes. No wonder she was so determined to clear Derek’s name.

  “You and I will be together always,” Brianna said, looking Lucas straight in the eye. “But you have to listen to what I say. I’m trying to protect you and keep you safe. That’s why we have rules. Okay?”

  Lucas nodded. “Okay.”

  Brianna slowly stood up, turning her gaze on Jason. “Where did you find them?”

  “Around the corner.”

  “I can’t believe he went that far on his own. I just went inside the house for a few seconds to take a phone call. I never imagined that Lucas would leave the yard. He’s never done that before.” She cleared her throat. “I can take the dog.”

  “I’ve got him.” Selfishly, foolishly, he wanted to spend a little more time with her, and as long as he had the dog, he had a hostage.

  “He said he knows how to fly a kite,” Lucas said, pointing his finger at Jason. “He said he could help us fix it, Mommy.”

  “We don’t need his help,” Brianna said quickly.

  “But you don’t know how to do it,” Lucas complained. “And I want to win the contest.”

  “I think I can figure it out, and it’s not about winning. Flying a kite is about having fun.”

  “Daddy would want to win,” Lucas proclaimed.

  Jason wondered how much time Lucas had spent with his father. How well could he have gotten to know Derek during short prison visits?

  “Your father would want you to enjoy the experience,” Brianna corrected as she led the way into her backyard. “We don’t need your help,” she told Jason.

  “You might. I don’t think you put the kite together right.” Once Brianna had shut the gate, he let Digger down. The dog celebrated his freedom with a sprint around the yard.

  Lucas held up the kite for Brianna’s inspection. “It’s all messed up, Mommy.”

  “Why don’t I take a look at it?” Jason suggested. “It’s a little dark out here, though. Can I come inside?”

  “No,” she said flatly.

  “Mommy,” Lucas wailed in protest. “I want him to fix my kite.”

  “Lucas, please go in the house.”

  “No,” he said, stomping his foot. Then he burst into tears.

  Brianna swung him up in her arms and carried him into the house, and he screamed even louder.

  Jason picked up the dropped kite and followed them inside. He could hear Brianna talking to Lucas in his bedroom while the boy continued to cry, and he felt a little guilty. He could have refused to help and drawn Lucas’s anger, instead of pitting Lucas against his mother. But he was tired of being the bad guy where the Kanes were concerned. Besides, it wouldn’t take much to fix the kite, so wouldn’t that be best for everyone?

  He set the kite on the kitchen table and took a look at its construction. He doubted it would win any contests, even at the preschool level. The contestants took their kites seriously—or at least their parents did—and to compete, Lucas would need a kite with a much more aerodynamic design.

  While he waited for Brianna to return, Jason glanced around the kitchen. Fresh flowers sat on the kitchen table, and colorful vases and bowls adorned the open kitchen shelves. The front of the refrigerator was covered with photographs of Lucas and childish hand-drawn pictures. He liked the vibe of the room, pretty and warm.

  “You’re still here. Why am I not surprised?” Brianna said when she returned to the room. “Every time I turn around, there you are.”

  “Well, I suppose I could have kept on going and let Lucas find his own way home.”

  She frowned. “I already said thank you.”

  “Actually, you didn’t,” he pointed out. He could see the battle going on in her eyes. She didn’t want to be grateful to him for anything, but her innate politeness eventually won out.

  “Thank you,” she said tightly.

  “You’re welcome. How’s Lucas?”

  “He fell asleep mid-cry. He was exhausted. I shouldn’t have started this kite project today, but he was so eager.” She ran a hand through her hair, her blue eyes weary.

  It couldn’t be easy starting over in a new place, especially a place that held some bad memories. Not that she’d want his sympathy.

  “Just when I think I know what Lucas is capable of, he surprises me.” She gave a bewildered shake of her head. “I never imagined he’d be able to open the gate and leave the yard.” Her gaze moved toward the kite. “It does look pathetic. I don’t get it. I followed the directions.”

  “I can help you fix it, but if you want to have a fast, high-flying kite, this one won’t cut it.”

  She frowned at him. “Lucas is four and a half years old and less than three feet tall; I don’t think the kite has to fly that high.”

  “I’m just saying that this isn’t a competitive kite. It doesn’t have the right aerodynamic shape to really take off. If you want to stick with it, at least let me make a few adjustments.”

  “Why do you care whether or not this kite will fly?” she challenged, suspicion in her eyes. “What’s in it for you?”

  “Nothing is in it for me. But your kid seemed excited about the idea of a high-flying kite. And I’ve been there—it’s an amazing feeling to watch your kite take off into the sky.”

  “It’s really that big of a deal?”

  “I guess your parents never took you kite flying.”

  “It never would have crossed their minds.” She moved past him and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard, taking a moment to fill it with ice and water. “Do you want some?”

  “Thanks.”

  She handed him the glass, then filled another for h
erself.

  “So what are your parents like?” He knew she came from money and that her parents sported some impressive educational credentials, but beyond that he had no idea.

  “They are academic, studious, globally adventurous, community-oriented, and ecologically responsible,” she said.

  He put up a hand. “Whoa. I’ve never heard anyone describe their parents that way before. You sound like a magazine article. Do you want to give it another shot—in English this time?”

  “My parents are professors. They’ve taught at several Ivy League schools. My mother specializes in immunological medicine, and my father has a doctorate in world history. They spend every holiday, summer vacation, and sabbatical traveling the world. They always have a purpose, like working in an AIDS clinic in a remote African village, or taking medical supplies down the Amazon, or bringing music to some ancient Indian tribe in South America. They’re incredible people, and the words I used to describe them are the way they were written about in an issue of Time magazine several years ago.”

  “Very impressive.”

  “Very,” she agreed, but there was a cool note in her voice.

  “So where are they? They weren’t at Derek’s trial. They weren’t at the funeral. They don’t seem to have a presence in your life.”

  She pulled out a chair and sat down. “I don’t know where they are. They didn’t like my decision to stand by Derek. They thought I was a fool.” Her gaze met his. “I’m sure you agree with that.”

  He wasn’t about to touch that comment. “But you have a child, their grandson. Don’t they want to see Lucas?”

  “Not so far,” she replied, taking a sip of water.

  He took a seat across from her. “I no longer find them impressive.”

  “Few people would agree with you.”

  “It must have been rough, not having their support these past few years.”

  “I’ve never had their support. They weren’t interested in being parents; I was an accident. My parents always felt that they were destined to do more important things with their lives than raising a child, so they left that to nannies and tutors. They prefer to spend their time solving big problems like world peace and poverty.”